National Assembly to set aside 1% of CRF for primary healthcare

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Thursday, said the National Assembly will ensure that 1 percent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) is set aside in the 2018 Budget to boost the provision of basic primary healthcare services across the country.

Saraki revealed this in his address at the 58th Annual General & Scientific Conference of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) in Abuja.

He said the amount would enable the Federal Government provide and fund quality and basic healthcare services for the benefit of Nigerians when the 2018 Appropriation Bill becomes law.

He lamented that the country loses over $1 billion annually to medical tourism which is untenable and unsustainable.

The Senate President said he is optimistic that with Nigeria’s upward review in the Ease of Doing Business index, coupled with the right government support, Public Private Partnership (PPP) would yield a positive result for the nation’s medical system, “so that we may begin to reverse the trend of medical tourism.”

Saraki added: “As I intimated when the delegation led by the NMA President and the Executive called on me at my office, and as I reiterate now, Primary and Universal Health Care provision is a key legislative agenda for the 8th Senate under my leadership.

“It is a promise that we have made to Nigerians, and one that we are determined to keep. In July last year, I launched the Legislative Network for Universal Health Coverage; and urged the Federal Government to honour the Abuja Declaration (2001), while calling for full implementation of the National Health Act 2014, which – as some of you will recall – I helped formulate during the 7th Senate.

“Therefore, there is no better place than here today, to announce that the issue of funding will be attended to in our budgetary review of the 2018 Appropriations Bill.

“The Senate has, with the cooperation of the House of Representatives, resolved to mandate our Committees on Appropriations to ensure that the pledge to set aside 1 per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) is met.

“This would be the underpinning for a legislative framework for the BHCPF and revitalisation of primary health care delivery across the nation. It will happen, and it is imminent.

“Once this 1 percent is put into law, we as legislators will embark on the next stage, which will be to ensure that we get value for money, for transparency in the use of the funds”.

The President of the Senate further decried a situation where Nigeria ranks amongst the top countries visiting international shores for medical treatment and support.

He assured that the National Assembly will always focus on policies will that positively affect the lives of the average Nigerian.